Madison County Sheriff Blake Dorning not running for re-election

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MADISON COUNTY, Ala. – Madison County Sheriff Blake Dorning will not run for another term during the 2018 election. The sheriff will finish out the last 18 months of his term, leaving office in early 2019.

Sheriff Dorning will make the announcement today at the Madison County Republican Men’s Club meeting.

In an interview with WHNT News 19’s Steve Johnson, Sheriff Dorning explained that he wants to give more attention to his family.

“When you are the sheriff everything that happens, you’re ultimately held responsible for, and so it was something that really pulls on you all the time, and while you may be there … your mind is somewhere else,” he said.

Dorning has served as sheriff for 14 years, first taking office in January 2003. He is one of two men to win four consecutive terms as Madison County Sheriff.

Dorning started with the Sheriff’s Office in 1983. He started in the jail before going into the field for patrol. He became sergeant in 1989 then lieutenant in 1994, taking charge of the criminal investigations unit in 1998. He became a captain in 2001.